The English German Girl

‘Fascinating and moving’ – Monica Ali ‘A powerful evocation of a bygone era’ – Sir Martin Gilbert ‘An important subject explored by a writer to watch’ – Jonathan Freedland ‘Rosa must carry her suitcase herself. She heaves it up, walks through the doorway, looks back one final time: Papa and Mama are standing arm in arm, they are waving, but their masks have fallen away, they look hopeless, and that is the worst thing of all; Rosa turns her back… (more)

‘Fascinating and moving’ – Monica Ali ‘A powerful evocation of a bygone era’ – Sir Martin Gilbert ‘An important subject explored by a writer to watch’ – Jonathan Freedland ‘Rosa must carry her suitcase herself. She heaves it up, walks through the doorway, looks back one final time: Papa and Mama are standing arm in arm, they are waving, but their masks have fallen away, they look hopeless, and that is the worst thing of all; Rosa turns her back and they are gone.’ The Klein family is slowly but surely losing everything they hold dear – or ever took for granted – as Hitler’s anti-Jewish laws take hold in 1930s Berlin. In desperation, fifteen-year-old Rosa is put on a Kindertransport train out of Germany, to begin a new life in England. In a foreign country, barely able to make herself understood, she struggles to find a way to rescue her parents. Overtaken by the war, however, they gradually lose touch. Now Rosa must face the prospect of not only being unable to fulfil her vow to save her family but also of an unknown future, quite alone. One of Britain’s most compelling and original new voices, Jake Wallis Simons blends meticulous research with powerful storytelling in an epic journey from heartbreak to hope.